September 13, 2005

Students learn about graduate school options at Purdue expo

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – As many as 200 to 300 students are expected to attend the Big10+ Graduate School Exposition Sept. 25-26 at Purdue University.

The expo will feature information from more than 25 institutions and organizations, including the National Science Foundation. Workshops on funding graduate study, featuring a broad look at sources for money, also will be offered. Other workshops include how to apply to graduate school, choosing a graduate program and why to pursue a master's versus a doctoral degree.

A welcome reception for early arrivals will be held on Sunday (Sept. 25) in Purdue Memorial Union's Anniversary Drawing Room, followed by campus and facility tours. Registration and check-in for the expo begins at 8 a.m. Monday (Sept. 26).

Student registration is $15 prior to the event or $20 at the door, and it includes breakfast, lunch, admission to all workshops and the graduate school fair. Travel scholarships are available to visiting students through the graduate school.

"This event will provide students with comprehensive information to help them identify their graduate education options, understand the admissions and funding process, and ultimately determine the best course of action for their future," said Dana Werner, director of recruitment services for the Graduate School. "We’re pleased to be able to offer a special workshop by NSF program director Famida Chowdhury, who will give students advice about applying to and competing for the prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship Program as well as other NSF opportunities."

Chowdhury also will be the keynote speaker at the luncheon and will discuss the national workforce needs related to the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines, Werner said.

Oleg Sindiy, from Aurora, Colo., attributes attending last year's expo for his decision to enter Purdue's master's program in the school of aeronautical and astronautical engineering.

"The 2004 Grad Expo provided me with the opportunity to meet with faculty and students in my desired research area," Sindiy said. "It was the availability of coursework, research and laboratories in my research area that brought me here for my graduate studies."

Institutions and organizations that will have representatives at the graduate school fair are: Arizona State University, Cornell University, University of California-Davis, University of California-Santa Barbara, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, University of Chicago, Illinois Institute of Technology, Indiana University, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), Michigan State University, Midwest Crossroads Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate, Palmer College, Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, University of Arizona, University of Iowa, University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science, Palmer College, The Ohio State University, University of Notre Dame, University of Wisconsin, University of Texas-Austin, University of Southern Illinois-Carbondale, University of Texas-Dallas, Washington University in St. Louis, and Wayne State University.

Writer: Maggie Morris, (765) 494-2432, maggiemorris@purdue.edu

Source: Dana Werner, (765) 494-3310, dkwerner@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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